Israel Prison Service expects trials of October 7 prisoners to begin in 2028

Officials in the Israel Prison Service estimate that the trial of Gaza prisoners accused of participating in the October 7 attack will begin in the first quarter of 2028, under a law passed in the Knesset without opposition. Ben Gvir demands an additional 900 million shekels for the trials, offset by cuts to the budgets of the Education, Welfare, and Environmental Protection ministries.

Officials in the Israel Prison Service estimate that the trial of prisoners from the Gaza Strip held on charges of participating in the October 7, 2023 attack, described as "elite prisoners," will begin in the first quarter of 2028. This comes under a law passed in the Knesset last May without opposition, with the government approving a three-year budget of one billion shekels to fund its implementation. Haaretz newspaper reported that the National Security Ministry has not yet begun preparations for these trials, and that Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demands an additional 900 million shekels for the prisoner trials, offset by cuts of 180 million shekels from the budgets of the Education, Environmental Protection, and Welfare ministries, as part of the 2027 state budget. The Prison Service says it is not ready, justifying its request by hiring 340 new guards and forming a special unit for guarding prisoners and their trials. It also demands a special budget for purchasing technological equipment, forming a special directorate, and establishing a facility to gather all prisoners who will stand trial. The mentioned ministries oppose cutting their budgets, with sources in the Welfare Ministry telling the newspaper that there will be "no budget left" to care for October 7 victims, and that "welfare services will not withstand the cuts."